This morning my Beloved and I were in bed and the thought occurred “This is Ministry”

Yes – SEX is ministry.

When I looked up the definition of ministry I came to this one that made me stop ” a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality”

WOW – Sex does something.

Not just making babies although that is awesome too.

Sex connects us – and I’m not talking about only one type of sex. Only the deep mystical tantric sex for instance.

ALL Sex- literally connects us.

It’s accomplishes something. It is an instrument. Now if you know anything about instruments you know that they are what they are and whether you choose to use them, ignore them, use them to build or destroy, or use them erroneously.

When we’re having sex with someone we’re serving as the vessel of connection. We’re connecting spirits, souls, intention. We’re connecting pleasure to a person, and bringing pleasure to a person. We the embodiment of the Oneness that we are.

When I connect sexually with my Beloved – I’m bringing my essence to connect with His. I’m opening up all that I am in my Feminine essence and receiving all that He is in His Masculinity. My ability to show up fully in that role of acceptance, active receiving of Him and pleasure is creative, connective and fueling. His ability to show up in the role of giving, consciousness and Focus – active giving of Himself and pleasure is also creative, connective, powerful and fueling. We create a cyclical microcosm of all that is.

In my Life Support practice (aka Coaching) I teach my clients how to connect with the power of not only their Feminine Essence but their sexuality.

How sex can be used to help us heal and as a catalyst to transformation in ways that other things can not.

How delicious, pleasurable sex can be had by everyone.

We tend to believe that the Divine is in a building somewhere – when in actuality the Divine is in US. We tend to think of “ministry” as something that priests and preachers do to help others – but there is a Ministry that has the ability to set free and reconcile in ways that we aren’t even tapping into – that Ministry is sex.

More on this later.

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

Authenticity is one of those buzz words we hear a lot about of late. If you’re in any way involved with Consciousness, Living your best Life, Law of Attraction, or any other ascension and evolution practice you’re likely pretty connected to the term.

And as with most terms that show up on our shores, this one has been used so much that it has begun to have a sort of “pressure” associated with it.

Or maybe it’s just me. But I don’t think so.

What I notice happening is bigger and bigger demands for more and more “authenticity” – to be more and more authentic. Is this wrong? Not at all – except that by definition authenticity is specific to the individual.

That means my being authentically me is NOT going to look like you being authentically you!

Are there some carry overs? Sure – things like honesty, kindness etc; should be par for the course for all of us.

But with the pressure to become more and more authentic comes the feeling- once again that we are not “enough”.

If we don’t share with everyone every minute detail of our life – we’re not being “authentic”, If we’re too happy then it’s not “authentic” it’s becomes a judging zone where we point fingers at one another to determine who is and who is not authentic.

Let’s be honest- we’re not all Bubbles of cheerful effervescence – but for some of us that IS our authentic self.

Some of us are:

Authentically introverted

Authentically private

Authentically outspoken

Authentically Intense and thoughtful

Authentically whimsical

Authentically shy

Authentically posses a dry sense of humor

Authentically dark and raw

We are all called to different audiences, different paths, different ways of being.

There is no one true way that authenticity looks.

And because of this it becomes difficult to recognize when you’re being authentic to you- or are you being authentic to someone else’s path- someone you respect or look up to, someone you admire or love.

So here you go darling- here’s the yummy filled piece of chocolate at the end of the rainbow, the big fat thing I want to share with you –

Authenticity doesn’t require a One True Way of being as you go through the world.

It doesn’t all look the same of sound the same.

The one requirement is Truth.

Think about it for a second. Let it marinate.

An authentic Degas is not the same as an Authentic Monet

An authentic poem by Poe sounds nothing like one by Angelou

Authentic means: True to your own Character, Spirit, and Personality.

Yes being authentic is really and for-true all about being True to your Self. Not your little self but your great-big Self – the self that bursting at the seems to get out there and be expressed.

And it changes, flows, ebbs, transforms as you grow and evolve!

Sometimes that Self likes to share and sometimes not – that is okay!

Sometimes it wants fun and sometimes serious – and that’s okay!

Sometimes it’s profoundly silly and other times whimsically sage-like – and that’s okay!

Sometimes it’s an introvert or an extrovert

You can be bright and cheery or more intense and reflective – Or BOTH by turns!

Being authentic is all about truth, all the time – even WITH shame or fear, out loud or while whispering. It’s all okay and it’s all good as long as it’s all TRUE.

It’s time to be fully You – all day all the Time – come on out – I’d love to meet you!

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

A Bit of Foolish Wisdom: April 1st – Commonly known as “April Fools Day“. The day when everyone in the country knows its acceptable to play a prank, to be silly, to joke around. It‘s a day of lightheartedness in general of fun and frippery.

Our Inner Fool

The opportunity to be foolish is one we rarely give ourselves permission to partake in. Our Inner Critics are not of a mind to allow us that much exposure – that much vulnerability with ourselves. And yet the transformation of that inner critic into our inner fool would be a welcome one. Historically the Royal Fools of monarchs were not only silly and amusing, but also full of a keen insight. Known to be unbiased and totally honest about whatever was going on – they were depended upon by royalty and were often the most trusted – known to have no ulterior motives or allegiances. What a lovely concept! An inner voice that is amusing, honest, unbiased and trusted. Compare this to the harsh, critical judgments of our inner critics and its easy to see that it‘s time to tap into that inner fool.

The ability to be foolish – the willingness to do so – is an integral part of living a creative life – a life of authentic expression. Such a life requires that at times we walk against the flow of traffic, color outside the lines, dance off beat. Being willing to be foolish is to be open and free without fear or inhibition.

This is the key to living an Authentic Life.To living the life the reflects our Spirit.

If we would allow our Spirit space to breathe, if we would give our dreams wings, if we would exhale and be who we really ARE – we would dare to be vulnerable and foolish.

We live in a culture where we prize viewing things with a jaded eye, where being a cynic is worn as a badge of honor, where disbelief and hardening our of precious hearts and dreams are the norm.

When we decide we are ready to crack open, that we *MUST* live – it requires a sort of foolishness from us.

The birds in the eggs call the one pecking the inside of the shell foolish.

The caterpillars crawling on earth call the one spinning the cocoon foolish.

The rose buds call the unfurling petals foolish.

Today…

*Laugh out loud and fully

*Grab a pack of crayons and draw the first thing you think of-Hang it on your refrigerator

*Eat a piece of cotton candy

*Keep a jingle bell in your pocket as a reminder

*Draw on the sidewalk with chalk

*Catch raindrops with your tongue

*Sing the song that‘s in your head out loud and dance to it!

*Let your writing be transparent- leave the typos and missteps

*Finger-paint on canvas

And in the words from “Whole Earth“ catalog…. “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

In Sight: I love the above quote, and yet it can be a hard pill to swallow. We love the word “try”, to move things into an either “do or don’t” situation seems very limiting. And what’s wrong with trying anyway? Isn’t trying good enough? What’s wrong is that to try is to not commit. To “try” is to leave ourselves with room for NOT doing what we have said we will “try” to do. Trying leaves room for failure and for a lack of discipline as well.

Most of us have seen a movie at some point where an athlete is tested to the limits of his/her endurance. Said athlete then wants to give up but somewhere either due to an amazing coach or support system or by sheer force of will the athlete overcomes the hardship and actually does what they set out to do. Why? Because for that person just trying wasn’t good enough.

But those are extreme cases, in typical daily life we use the word try often to indicate that we lack commitment to whatever we said we were going to attempt. “I’ll try to clean my house”, “I’ll try to call”, “I’ll try to be more soft spoken”, “I’ll try to stay within my budget”. what are we really saying?

We’re acknowledging that doing these things are good ideas while still allowing room for *not* doing them, still allowing room for excuses. Why? How does this serve us as we seek to lead better more authentic lives, lives that are the reflection of our Truth and Bliss? The truth is that it doesn’t help us at all.

Often try is a way for us to give the “soft no” – it can be a way of us not having to say no -but being able to indicate our “no” with our actions. Try can be a means of us allowing ourselves to be continually pulled in more directions than we can commit to. “I’ll try to help with the event”, “I’ll try to help out with the PTA meeting”, “I’ll try to help you move”. By saying “Do or do not” we must choose. It requires mindfully deciding on a certain course and eliminating other options. It requires us to become intimate with our own state and not to handle our precious selves arbitrarily.

It forces us to slow down and look at what is truly possible and what is not. This doesn’t have to be limiting in a bad way. We can use these opportunities to take stock and re-evaluate what we’re doing and how we’re using our resources – time, energy, finances etc. If we find that there are many things we desire to “do” but are unable to commit to we can then redistribute things. “Trying” puts this ability outside ourselves, whereas “Do or do not” is a statement of personal responsibility. When we stop “trying” we may find that we have more energy and greater clarity. For we who serve “do or do not” can bring more excellence to our service, and also aid in our commitment to the One we serve in that we must seek Direction *prior* to committing. This can facilitate communication between us.

In “The Four Agreements” the last agreement is “Do your best”, notice that it is not “try your best”. Committing makes it an action. “Trying” keeps it in the realm of a thought. As we take more actions that align with the Lives we desire to live we will find ourselves manifesting that life daily. We create that life. Creation is not trying, creation is doing. Activity: For this week avoid using the word “try”. Keep a journal of opportunities when you wanted to say “try” and if you committed to doing or not doing in those situations. What was the result? If not saying try is very difficult for you use a coin toss! Heads you say “I will, I do” tails you say “I won’t, I do not” rather you find yourself adhering to the results of the coin toss or not – often making it so tangibly yes or no can be a great too to bringing clarity to if your soul is saying “yes or no” to something.

Questions: What are your observations of this experience? What did you find out about yourself? What impact did it have on others? Is there a difference between try and attempt for you? What is it? What can you begin to “do” an “do not” within the realm of service or surrender?

Affirmations: (use only the ones that resonate as true for you)

I am actively committing to _______________.

Saying no to one thing means saying Yes to something else!

I can do whatever I will to do!

I am doing what I will to do.

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

Recently, the Universe really impressed upon me the three p’s: “Power, Purpose, Presence” – and to express to others that this is one of the core reasons we exist and it is from this place that we function and live our dreams. That this place is the wellspring through which we can find that which is most fulfilling to our hearts and souls and living a life that matters.

Power: The Ability to act and to cause an effect

Purpose: a result, end, mean, aim, or goal of an action intentionally undertaken

Presence: now existing or in progress; a state of being containing intimacy, awareness, and spirit.

For many of us, life has brought more than one opportunity for us to not care, to live aimlessly and to be a spectator. We are sitting on the sidelines awaiting the game to start or worse- watching those in the game and content to live vicariously through them.

But no more.

Today is your “One Day”…

Inhabiting life in a way in which we are fully invested, intentional and effective is life changing not only for ourselves but for those whom we are honored to share space and relationship with.

Life has taught us to live beneath our station. Now its time to learn who we really are, and how to live within our Legacy and birthright as conscious creators, artists, birthers, innovators….yes I mean you!!

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

What would you do if you had no fear?

What is your song – that you have not yet sung?

Affirmation: i have come to live out loud, i choose to embrace my Power, Purpose, and Presence and to create a life that supports me in these ways. i am more than the sum of my parts, i am greatness personified!

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

There is nothing to fear at all; all that is needed is a little more awareness. So whatever your fear is, catch hold of it, look at it minutely, the way a scientist looks at a thing. And you will be surprised, it starts melting like an ice flake. By the time you have looked into its totality, it is gone. Osho

Based on that quote I have created the following affirmation and linked it to a mantra:

Affirmation: Today i am FEARLESS!! Under the fierce light of my own brilliance -fear melts. Rather than allowing fear to have its way with me, i grab it, face it and walk through it on my way to Purpose and fulfillment!

Optional Mantra: VAM (Repeat for 2-3 minutes)

Feel free to use these as you move through your day to energize you, center you and create movement.

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT

Mercury will be in retrograde until 12/30/10 – if you’ve been struggling during this period with issues of communication, travel and general malfunction (merc. retrogrades hallmarks) it may help you to know that mercury retrograde is not a “bad” time. The key is working with this energy and not against it.

Mercury retrograde can give keen insight, help in our perceiving things from a different perspective. Mercury retrograde is about internal shifts- change is often difficult but rarely “bad”. It’s about approaching from a different angle, using intuition in a different way.

It’s not necessarily a good time for movement physically but a great time for internal working.

“… retrograde periods offer us a chance to slow down certain parts of our life for closer examination, preparing for a change that inevitably occurs. This is part of a larger cyclic process of unfoldment when the planet speeds up again in forward motion. Life always speeds up again after a time of reflection, contemplation, and transitional change. One

of the benefits of Mercury retrograde is that it provides the time for reflection, which can lead to revitalization after a symbolic fallow period….

Periods of reflection, meditation, and contemplation allow us to take a needed break from routine or inertia. Retrogrades are the natural time to do this. When we turn inward, our Soul connection assists our growth by allowing us to focus on that which we would not address if we were preoccupied with mundane affairs….

When a planet goes retrograde, the areas of life that it symbolizes need to be re-examined. It is metaphorically an in-breathing or dreaming, a retracing and reexamining of steps already traversed, digesting and assimilating previous experience…. This is a time when we can examine the effect that our personal subconscious and the Collective Unconscious has upon us…”

~A New Look At Mercury Retrograde

As the moon is full and waning – we have double celestial influences that are telling us to go within, look within, focus within. Since this is also a Holiday season what to do? How to work with this energy when it seems like we are constantly being pulled externally?

Make daily space for stillness – Honor this Time by taking a few moments a day to be still, quiet, focused. Hear the messages that your inner working are bringing up

Be gentle – Because mercury’s intention is to cause us to look at things differently – when misunderstanding arise – don’t react. Delay reactions until after 12/30/10 if possible.

Spend time in review – Consider the lessons of the last few months. Write down what you learned. Does anything new come up? Any hidden lessons made clear?

Prepare – This is also a great time to begin to prepare for the next four months. what do you want to achieve? what are your goals? Where is your intention set?

You can also dance with Mercury by eating foods that will tonify and add to those areas that Mercury rules. Mercury rules the lungs, nervous system, arms and hands.

Quote: “One must feel chaos within to give birth to a dancing star.”— Frederic Nietzsche

Thoughts: Recently a friend and I were discussing something and I mentioned forgetting to do something. She offered that I might put it in my blackberry to remember, and that sparked a comment from me that I’m not as organized in the last 2 months or so as I usually am.

What? Me? Not organized???!

This is unheard of!

But True nonetheless.

Of late the universe has been teaching me a splendid lesson. How to be okay – no, not just okay- but to embrace making A Marvelous Mess!

Things happen. Life happens.

Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan.

Sometimes on the way to Vision, Purpose, Bliss and Excellence things must be Messy.

Look at the caterpillar as it becomes a butterfly. Transformation is Messy.

Look at the Sacred act of Sex. Places of Bliss are Messy.

Look at the Potter’s hands. Creativity is Messy.

Look at the Birthing room. Creation is Messy.

Look at the act of Sacrifice. Surrender is Messy.

Don’t misunderstand me here. I’m not advocating a lifestyle devoid of structure, devoid of organization and eschewing the idea of “everything in it’s place”. Heaven forbid!

I am suggesting that there is a value in learning that there is a time and place for everything, including Chaos.

Chaos.

The place of beginnings – for the Earth was created out of it. Chaos can be scary, challenging and oh so sacred. The wonder of the loss of control, of letting go. We want to believe that this will look beautiful and ordered, we desire a pristine awe. It reminds me of an profound experience my Beloved and I went through at one time. I thought the exercise would be lovely, a graceful giving over. Instead it was tears, and runny noses, and screaming and crying. Face distorted, clinging and inarticulate. It was … I was – A Marvelous Mess.

The last two months have been a deepening of that understanding. An internalization that is not situational. Looking at the daily messes…the unfinished email…the paints and brushes all over whilst creating a piece of art…the unmade and tousled bed…a counter strewn with various vegetables and fruit in some state of being prepared…the odd mixture of “greens” and “browns” tossed into the compost bin. As I neaten, tidy, or sometimes leave it until later…it occurs to me -All of it messy, all of it incomplete – and yet perfect in it’s own way.

Perfect in that the Mess is a Vital part of the process.

Have you ever attempted to clean without making a mess? It’s nearly impossible. It’s necessary to unearth and pull up the things that are hidden and often forgotten. On some level we know this will happen, this is why we dread spring cleaning, or cleaning the garage, refrigerator or attic. It’s messy. And yet afterward we have the well ordered space that we desired.

If we recoil from the messiness that the cleaning takes we may never start. Instead we don our cleaning clothes, turn on some good music and get busy making our Mess. From Chaos springs forth Order. I encourage you to spend time making a mess. Get your hands dirty. Pay attention to the naturally occurring messes all around you.

How do you respond? What do they bring up? Can we find a way to enjoy the mess – in the Now – as opposed to worrying about the clean up? Can we see the Beauty in the Mess? Can we honor the Sacredness of the disorder? Can we Marvel at the Mess?

In Laughter, Love, and Lustiness,

P.S – If you’d like a sacred container to hold you, love you, accept you as you Transform – I invite you to join: http://tinyurl.com/GetSOFT